The Sacramento Kings have tried to make a trade with the Golden State Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga, and one of the players involved in the deal, Devin Carter, spoke about how the rumors and speculation affect him.
The Golden State Warriors, by playing Jonathan Kuminga sparingly in the play-in tournament and postseason, made it clear that they are not interested in keeping him around long-term, and even if they were, Kuminga has little reason to want to stay in Golden State.
As a restricted free agent this summer, he doesn’t have the most options to depart Golden State, and the Warriors are expected to pull off a sign-and-trade to recoup some assets.
However, the only team that has shown a ton of interest is the Sacramento Kings, who have offered Malik Monk or Dario Saric, as well as Devin Carter, in exchange for Kuminga.
The Warriors don’t want to make a deal with their in-state rivals, and Carter, who is no stranger to the NBA ‘business,’ hasn’t let the rumors and speculation affect him too much.
Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty ImagesDevin Carter knows all about being traded
Despite playing only one NBA season, Carter understands that he could be moved at any given moment. His father, Anthony, played in the NBA for 13 years on six different teams, and was traded in 2011, when Devin was eight years old.
After the reports emerged that he was included in trade talks, Carter frequently talked to his dad and came to the conclusion that a trade would not derail his career.
“My pops played for 13 years,” Carter told The Sacramento Bee. “He’s been traded a lot. I just talk to him about how he handled it.
“That will stay between us, what me and my pops be talking about, but I just come in to work every day, obviously thankful for the opportunity to be here, show up with a ready-to-work mentality all the time, and it is what it is. It’s a business.”
Carter was picked 13th overall by the Kings in 2024 and averaged only 3.8 points and 1.1 assists, although in college he was a solid shooter and excellent defender, so he is expected to emerge as a solid guard in the NBA, making him a valuable part of any deal.
Photo by David Jensen/Getty ImagesSacramento Kings could make familiar mistake
Last season, the Kings traded point guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs. While they signed Dennis Schroder as a stopgap facilitator, their track record suggests that Carter will blossom if the Kings give up on him.
In recent years, the Kings traded Fox and Tyrese Haliburton and passed on drafting Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, and CJ McCollum, all of whom could run point for them at a high level.
In college, Carter averaged 19.7 points and 3.6 assists in his final year at Providence, and was expected to be a solid two-way guard for the Kings, although a shoulder injury delayed his debut last season.
The Kings do not have a track record of exercising patience, and fans shouldn’t be surprised if Sacramento flips Carter–who fills a position of need–to the Warriors or another team, only for him to blossom into one of the better young guards in the league.
History shows us that the best step for a guard to take in his development is for the Kings to either give up on you, as they did with Haliburton, or pass on you entirely. Carter could be next in line.